Ski memories from yesteryear

When snow arrives and I see cars with skis passing through Rutland, I can’t help but think about my ski days, which began on some small slopes.

The areas where I skied in the ‘50s and ‘60s no longer exist. But the memories remain!

Like many kids who grew up in the Rutland area the first place we skied was at the Rutland Country Club. There was a 525-foot hill that had a rope tow that got you to the top. The tow was installed by the Rutland Recreation Department in the winter of 1951-1952. The motor for the tow came from a Volkswagen donated by Louie Salebra.  The chief operator was Recreation Department employee Bill Reardon, who was assisted by part time employee Pat Canty.

Kids could ski for free and adults paid 50 cents for the day. There was no warming hut so you kept on skiing if you didn’t want to get cold.

If you didn’t know how to ski you could take lessons on Saturday mornings. Your instructor back in 1952 or 1953 might have been Stevia Chaffee, mother of Olympic participants, Suzy and Rick Chaffee. The Rutland Country Club is located on Grove Street just down the road from where the Chaffee family lived at the time. How convenient was that?

It was a fun place to meet your friends and parents were happy to not have to drive up the mountain to Pico.

In 1974 the rope tow was removed so if you wanted to ski you climbed to the top of the hill.

When you were old enough to drive and preferred to ski at a small area you might have selected High Pond in Hubbardton. It opened to the public in the winter of 1951. Originally it was a personal ski area for W. Douglas Burden, a wealthy entrepreneur. Over the years the five original slopes increased to eight. The area had a base lodge where you could warm up and take a break from skiing. There were rope tows and a T-bar to get you to the top. High Pond operated until the mid-’80s. One of my more entertaining memories from there occurred in the parking lot where there were donkeys that wandered up to you. My cousin, Betty, petted one and encouraged me to do the same. I did and when I turned around it bit me in the derriere. Not what I expected to happen at a ski area!

You could also enjoy another small ski area, Birdseye, on the Castleton-Ira town line. Planning for it began in 1958 and it opened in 1962. There was a 750-foot Stabil lift and a rope tow. A T-bar was installed in 1965. One fun feature of Birdseye was night skiing. I took advantage of that feature quite a few times. The area closed in 1968.

By the ‘70s my friends and I did most of our skiing at either Pico or Killington. Trying the gondola was a fun experience. On my first ride I didn’t remove my skis in time and they headed back down the mountain. I don’t remember exactly how I got them back but I did and skied down the mountain.

By 1974 I had met my husband, Peter, who belonged to the Pico Ski Club. He taught in the Junior Program and also gave lessons to some of the women in the club. I have to admit I was his worse pupil as I schussed from one side of the hill to the other so I wouldn’t pick up speed. I also had problems with the B-slope T-bar. There is a very steep section near the top of B slope that can cause your feet to come off the ground or at least mine did. When that happened your “T-bar partner” could lose his or her balance and fall off. One time my cousin, Betty, told Roger Pike, who was in line behind us, to take her place and get on the T-bar with me. She happily rode up with a total stranger. By the way, Roger did not fall off!

On that note I will end my downhill ski memories for this time around. Have fun making your own.

Mary Ellen Shaw is proud to be a “senior citizen” who has lived in Rutland her whole life. She has written columns for several newspapers over the years and is the author of Kittenhood 101. She invites you to take a look back at life in yesteryear.